At least nine people were killed and 27 injured when a pile of confiscated explosives detonated at a police station in Indian-occupied Kashmir on Friday night.
The victims included policemen, government officials, and forensic staff who were examining the explosives at the Nowgam police station, police chief Nalin Prabhat confirmed during a press briefing.
Authorities indicated that the explosion was accidental, occurring during forensic and chemical examinations of previously recovered explosive materials, with no militant involvement suspected at this stage of the investigation.
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The blast’s intensity was so severe that some body parts were thrown 100 to 200 meters away, and the identification of victims is ongoing, as many remains were badly burnt.
Fire tenders were rushed to the site after the explosion, which engulfed the police compound in flames, and police are now assessing the full extent of structural and material damage.
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The incident follows a deadly car blast in New Delhi four days earlier that killed eight people, highlighting ongoing security concerns in the region, which has long been disputed between India and Pakistan.